Introduction Over the years, I have had the chance to talk to several Jewish people about spiritual issues. A common Jewish objection that I continue to hear is that Jewish people don’t believe that a human can be sacrificed for sins. In other words, a human can’t atone for the sins of the Jewish people. First, let me give some background to the idea of atonement in Judaism. … [Read more...]
3 Considerations for the Ontological Argument
For those of us familiar with the ontological argument, we may also be familiar with Immanuel Kant’s “textbook critique” of the Anselmsian proof. To be clear, Kant’s criticism is two-fold: (1) A concept cannot be formed to guarantee its own instantiation (i.e., have an instance) in extra-mental reality. For instance, whether or not the idea of a supreme being corresponds to any … [Read more...]
What Was the Shape of Jesus’ Cross?
Last weekend, after speaking at the NRB National Apologetics Conference, I was approached by a man who asked a question about the shape of crucifixion cross of Jesus. He’d been approached by Jehovah’s Witnesses who challenged the traditional shape of the cross. They argued the Greek word for "cross" (stauros) simply meant an “upright pole”, “upright stake” or “torture stake”. … [Read more...]
Principles in Revolution
A Review of The Principle Shortly before his death in 1543, Nicolaus Copernicus published De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres) in which he proposed that the motion of the planets could be better explained by assuming that the sun, rather than the earth, sits at the center of the universe (the Solar System being the extent of … [Read more...]
Call for submissions to winter edition of EQUIPPED
We are excited to announce the second issue of the Christian Apologetics Alliance publication, EQUIPPED, is in production, with an anticipated release the week of December 15. This second issue, titled "'The Word Became Flesh and Dwelt Amongst Us' - John 1:14," will focus on Jesus' incarnation. [Review the first issue of EQUIPPED, released two weeks ago.] EQUIPPED invites all … [Read more...]
Convince Me There’s A God – Archaeology 17
“And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the Lord.” 1 Kings 6:1 As an atheist, I thought the Bible was a bunch of fairy tales. I grew up learning stories in the … [Read more...]
"Doth God Care For The Oxen?" – The Biblical View
John W. Loftus, in his recent book, attempted to make the case that the Bible does not value animals, and that the Bible and its authors would condone animal cruelty. The opposite is true. As I demonstrated in my recent debate with him, the Bible is very much concerned for the welfare of the animals, and Loftus’ view otherwise is founded in various misunderstandings regarding … [Read more...]
Who Do You Say That I Am? Not Michael!
The identity of Jesus is the most important question that we can wrestle with. Forget the age of the earth. Forget the dating of the Gospels. Who is Jesus? That is what we need to know. Every religion and philosophy has a different answer to that question. For the Jehovah's Witnesses, the answer is the archangel Michael. For Christians encountering that claim for the first … [Read more...]
Creating Christian Media
God has created a world in which there are things that are beautiful. There are things that are good, and there are things that are right. We live in a world where some things are indeed better than others. We live in a world that is defined by objective values even if many people do not want to affirm that reality. … [Read more...]
Paul – Apostle or Fraud (Part 10)
Opposition to Paul’s apostleship did not end at his death. The same group of Judaizers Paul warned about in his epistles continued to oppose the freedom Paul had preached to Gentiles. “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will … [Read more...]